Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with the design and use of a glass micropipette biological sensor for in-situ detection of temperature changes, ion conductivity, pH and light.
United States Patent Application No. 20070059215 (Huang, 2005) teaches a micro pipette sensing device that includes a micro pipette and a sensing device. The micro pipette includes a main portion, an operation portion and at least one tube portion. The tube portion defines an operation space comprising a sensing device that includes a MEMS flow sensor for sensing a gas movement in the operation space.
WIPO Publication No. WO9505000 (Aaron and Klony, 1999) discloses a general purpose force sensor for measuring nanometer scale surface topography and other characteristics. The sensor includes a hollow micropipette having an inner diameter of about 7.5 nanometers at its tip. The probe includes a cantilevered structure obtained by heating it near the tip to bend it. A reflective coating is applied to the outer surface of the micropipette.
United States Patent Application No. 20020021222 (Howitz and Burger, 2002) describes an apparatus for sensing a drop of liquid delivered by a micropipette, that comprises a sensor comprising of electrodes arranged in a selected geometric pattern on a surface of a substrate, wherein the electrodes are insulated from each other at the surface and an electronic analysis unit is coupled to the electrodes for sensing changed electrical characteristics between the electrodes which result from the drop of a liquid deposited on the surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,819 issued to Thomas et al. (1992) describes a micro-thermocouple for non-invasive monitoring of changes in blood glucose concentration in a tissue specimen and particularly in an individual. The method uses acoustic velocity measurements for monitoring the effect of glucose concentration upon the density and adiabatic compressibility of the serum.